Is the blow-hard Warren Buffett going to match it?

...Lee

This really doesn't need to be violent. The country is hopelessly fractured along idealogical lines and the only real solution is for the country to break apart. Here in Kansas I can work a trade deal with California or New York better than I can trying to live under their idiotic legislation that is foisted upon all of us.

The details will be tough and I'm not sure how the borders will be drawn, at the end of the day the people can vote with their feet and decide where they want to live. At the end of the day you can "Burger King" things and everyone can "have it your way".

...Lee

At what point do we see helicopters plucking people off of the roofs at our fancy new 104 acre embassy?

I've seen this show before but at least the last time Nixon declared victory before we bugged out.

Say a prayer for the Kurds - they Effed on all three fronts.

...Lee

Genius, a great tactical move.

I'm sorry - I just don't understand the concept. The left is effective with it since much of their coalition is used to boarding buses to go chant "hey hey ho ho" about something so having a bus pick them up to go vote is no different.

I have my Birkenstock wearing, Prius driving neighbor that was an MD but he gave that up to be an "Environmental Entrepreneur" - my guess is that he gets federal grant money for something. Do you really think me knocking on his door is going to change his mind about which Marxist he is going to vote for?

I am hearing about "training workshops" all over the country but I am having a hard time figuring out what the real purpose is.

Perhaps I am over-thinking this and there are enough weak minded people that you can sway their opinion with a phone call or a knock on the door but I know the ballot top to bottom and usually who I will vote for (or just do a protest - none of the above non vote) before I even get in my own car to drive my own self to the polls with my own gasoline.

I get the phone calls but they are promptly responded to with the "click-Buzz" of the hangup and the dial tone.

Perhaps this gets deeper than I think and there are actual meetings of the minds to formulate platforms, drink ale, and groom candidates but I think the last time that happened was in secret Masonic lodges and that has been a few years ago.

Will someone please explain the value in this to me?

...Lee

In Kansas there is a sales tax surcharge - in addition to being taxed by Amazon already - one of only 4 states plus DC on your state income tax return. They ask you on the tax return to list any out of state purchases where Kansas sales tax was not paid and then, even if you list zero, they ding you for $35.00 added to your tax, presumably because of the assumption that you are a not being truthful. I call it the Kitty Cat Kathleen Sebelius liars tax.

My 90 year old mother in law who has no computer - and wouldn't know how to turn it on if she did have one - got dinged with that additional tax.

...Lee

Anything that is published in or by the Kansas City Star should be immediately questioned as to its truthfulness, accuracy, and context.

...Lee

In pure BTU/$ terms natural gas is presently dirt cheap. 1MCF (1000 cubic feet) of natural gas has 1,020,000 BTUs - natural gas is selling (Hub price to the producer) for a fuzz under $4.10 / MMBTU (Million BTUs).

Gasoline on the spot market is selling wholesale for $2.80/gallon and it has - give or take depending on what witches brew the EPA has mandated for your specific area - 114,000 BTUs / gallon.

At present (Oh but give them a chance) there is no road tax on natural gas and with an appropriate compressor you can fill up in your garage but it takes time (as in overnight) and electricity to run the compressor which alters the dynamics on the calculations a bit. The tank size becomes a huge factor as well and a tank of natural gas on an average car will provide enough fuel to get around 200 to 250 miles. The modifications are usually set up as dual fuel systems that have both a gasoline tank and a compressed natural gas (CNG) tank that you can switch between on the fly but the CNG tank will eat up your entire trunk.

The real dynamic here is on the demand side. Were a significant portion of motor vehicles be converted or sold as CNG vehicles the demand for natural gas would predictably soar and thus the price would soar as well. At present the summer months are "injection" months for natural gas where stockpiles are placed into storage for the heavy demand for home heating during the winter months. The summer driving season would most certainly alter the "injection" portion of the equation.

In the end I think it comes down to how much you drive vs how warm you like your house in the winter to figure out if this makes any sense.

...Lee

God help them all - they will be stuck behind some idiot with either Iowa plates or Minnesota plates that is actually trying to figure out how to drive a car.

My greatest nightmare is driving to the cabin in the Ozarks behind a minivan with a cripple plate from either one of those states.

...Lee

There is nothing new here. The same crap has been going on in Kansas City since Pendergast which is why most of the Kansas City Metro population lives outside of the city limits of Kansas City proper.

The plus with Pendergast is that he at least got things done - with his Redi Mix concrete of course - but concrete monuments got built.

Sheesh, machine politics but now it is run by Freedom Inc which would make ACORN blush with its tactics.

...Lee